Nail polish applicator



Sept. 18, 1951. J, ELBY NAIL POLISH APPLICATOR Filed Aug. 6, 1948 INVENTOR. L/OSZPH ELBY BY HIS ATTORNEYS. HARE/s, Inga/1; FosTE/e 6-.HHRR/5 6y Patented Sept. 18, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.v

NAIL POLISH APPLIGATOR Joseph Elby, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application August 6, 1948, Serial No. 42,889

4 Claims.

This invention relates to applicator devices and particularly to a device suitable for "applying a liquid polishing agent to human fingernails.

Applicator devices are used extensively for applying liquid polish to fingernails, such devices usually consisting merely of a brush supported at the end of a stick or handle which, in turn, is carried by a bottle cap adapted to normally close the opening of a bottle containing the liquid polish. Such a device is applied to use by merely removing the cap from the bottle so as to withdraw the liquid-saturated brush, after which the liquid polish is applied to the fingernail by painting it thereon.

While such an applicatorhas been generally accepted as the most practical means available for applying the liquid polish, it is well known that it is subject to several disadvantages. For example, since the polish tends to spread along the fingernail, extreme care must be exercised in applying the polish and it is the usual practice to space the polish inwardly from the lateral edges and from the cuticle of the fingernail so as to prevent spreading of the polish onto the adjoining portions of the skin of the finger. In an effort to avoid such spreading of the polish, various guards, in the form of stencils, have been devised for attachment to the finger to overlie and conceal the portions of the skin adjoining the fingernail and thus confine the coating to a predetermined pattern. As will be apparent, the use of such separate stencils or guards complicates the coating procedure and, since a guard designed to fit one size finger is unsuitable for use on a finger of different size, a large number of the guards is necessary to accomplish the desired objective. application of the nail polish is that the prior applicators have no rigid portion which can rest against the fingernail during movement of the brush along the same and this condition is further aggravated when a right-handed woman ap plies the polish to the fingernails of her right hand while holding the applicator brush in her less dexterous left hand, or vice versa.

It is an important object of this invention to avoid the difficulties discussed above by providing a liquid applying device which operates on the principle of brushing or painting the liquid polishing agent to a fingernail, as in prior devices,

Another cause of improper but has guard means incorporated therein and 7 2 relatively rigid and thus providing a support adapted to slidably rest on the fingernail during application of the liquid polish so as to effectively guide the brush and avoid lateral spreading or expansion thereof.

Another object is to provide a device, of the character referred to, in which the combined guard-and brush holder is in the form of an inverted channel so as to provide side portions enclosing the sides of the applicator brush. A related object is to provide a holder member in which the bottom edges of the side portions are made relatively sharp so that they can be disposed in the crevices between the side edges of a fingernail and the adjoining skin of the finger so as to confine the applied nail polish to the fingernail and prevent spreading thereof onto the finger. A further related object is to provide a holder member having a tapered tip portion whose edge is also relatively sharp and thus adapted to fit in the groove between the base of the fingernail and the cuticle thereof so as to avoid spreading of the liquid polish onto or into the cuticle. To further guard against flow of the liquid polish agent onto the cuticle, the bristles at the outer end of the brush are cut at an angle to provide a feather edge and this is another important feature of the present invention.

Another object is to provide a device of the type indicated in which the combined guard and bolder member is preferably molded from plastic material-so as to render it light in weight, pleasing in appearance and especially economical to manufacture.

Further objects of the invention will appear from the following specification and from the drawing which illustrates a preferred embodiment of the device, by way of example, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of my improved applicator device, showing it in use for applying liquid polish to a fingernail;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the device, as viewed from the bottom thereof;

Fig. 3 is a further enlarged longitudinal sectional view through the applicator device; and

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view, taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawing in detail, my improved applicator device includes a combined guard and holder member 5 which, as best shown in Figs. 2 and 4, is of generally inverted channel shape throughout the greater portion of its length, the member having opposite side walls 6 and I, joined at their upper ends by a top wall 8. At one of its ends, the holder member 5 is provided with an end wall 9 from which projects a stem ID. The stem [0 may be receivable in an axial hole of a handle II, as shown in Fig. 3, or may be further extended to provide the handle itself-. As shown in Fig. 1, a screw type bottle cap 12, carried at the outer end of the handle I l adapts the device to be normally disposed in a bottle (not shown) containing a, supply of the liquid nail polish.

In accordance with the invention, the bottom edges of the side walls 6 and 7 are inclined at the end opposite to the closed base end 9 of the holder member 5, as indicated at l 3, so as to provide a relatively acutely pointed tip [4, the extremity of which is defined by the forward edge l of the top wall 8. As shown best inFigs. 3 and 4, the inclined edges of the walls 6 and l and the tip edge I5 of the top wall are made. relatively sharp for a purpose tobe hereinafter explained.

An applicator brush 20 is disposed within the guard and holder member 5 with its fine bristles 2| extending lengthwise thereof. Preferably, one end of the-group of the bristles 2| is enclosed by a, light weight sheet metal ferrule 22. A rivet 23, passing through aligned. holes in the ferrule 22 and the top wall 8, has'its ends headed over thereagainst to retain the brush 2!] within the member 5. The-forward or tip end of the group of bristles 2| isrcut at an angle corresponding to thatof the inclined edges l3 of the side walls 6 and 1 andlpreferably is spaced inwardly from these edges to aslight extent. In alike manner, the lower surface of the brush is disposed above the lower edgesof the side walls 6 and l so-that the brush 2!! is confined wholly within the mem ber 5 and, shouldthe brush swell when carrying the polish agent, it will not project beyond the member 5 in any direction.

To apply the device to use, it is first immersed in the bottle of liquid nail polish, after whichit is withdrawn and excess polish on the exterior surfaces of the holder member 5 wiped off. against the rimof the bottle. Holding the handle llof the applicator device in the fingers of one hand25, the person usingthe device places the holder member 5 against afingernail 26 of the otherhand as shownin Fig. 1, that is, with the tip end 14 thereof against the fingernail adjacent the cuticle 21 thereof and the lower sharp edge of one of the side walls 6 or 1 disposed within the crevice between a side edge of the fingernail and the skin adjacent the fingernail. As the device is drawn forwardly, lengthwise of the fingernail, the liquid polish fiows from the brush 20 and is thus applied evenly to the surface of th fingernail. By repeating this operation at laterally spaced locations. the entire surface of the fingernail iscoated With the liquid polish.

It is to be particularly noted that the relatively sharp edges l5 and I3 of the holder member serve to confine the polish to the fingernail and guard against spreading of the polish onto the cuticle and adjoining lateral portions of the skin. It will also be apparent that since the holder member 5 is relatively rigid, it provides a rest insuring stability and even flow of the liquid polish. By this provision, the person can readily apply the polish to the fingernails of either hand with equal efiiciency, the lower edges of the side walls 6 and 1 providing, in eifect, runner-like guides-for directing the device along the fingernail. It is thus seen that the present applicator device is highly efficient and positively guards against the undesirable coating of adjoining portions of the skin of the fingers with the polish. It will be apparent that my improved applicator might also be used to great advantage in applying paint, ink or other liquids to various surfaces wherein it is essential that the applied liquid be confined to a definite area or stripe.

While I have herein disclosed the applicator device as embodied in a preferred form of construction, by way of example, it will be apparent that various modifications might be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention. Consequently, I do not wish to be limited in this respect, but desire to be afforded the full scope of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. An applicator device, comprising: a channel shaped guard member of generally rectangular cross section having a top wall, side walls and an end wall, the lower edges of said side walls sloping downwardly from the open end of said top wall-to provide an openpointed tip; and a liquid applying element secured within said guard member and having a tapered end disposed between the sloping portions of said side walls and following the contour thereof, said element being substantially equal in cross-sectional area to that of the interior of said member and capable of absorbing liquid and applying the same to a surface along which the device is drawn with the element in contact therewith, the edges of said side walls and the edge of said top wall at the openend of said guard member defining the boundaries of the liquid applied to the surface so as to prevent spreading of the liquid.

2.. A device as defined in claim 1 in which said guard member is'made from non-metallic material and said side walls and said top wall terminate at said tip end in reduced, relatively sharp edges.

'3. A device as defined in claim 1 in which said liquid applying element consists of a brush having its bristles extending lengthwise of said guard member. and terminatinginwardly of said sloping edges of said side walls and said edge of said top wall.

4. An applicator device, comprising: a guard member having a top wall, side walls and an end wall, the lower edges of said side Walls sloping downwardly from the open end of said top wallto provide an open pointed tip; and a liquid applying element secured within said guard member, said liquidapplying element consisting of a brush having a tubular ferrule, relatively fine bristles carried by said ferrule and extending lengthwise of said member, and fastening means carried by said ferrule and. connected to said top wall to secure said liquid applying element within said guard member, said liquid applying ele ment having a tapered end disposed between the sloping portions of. said side walls and following the contour thereof and being substantially equal in cross-sectional area to that of the interior of said member and capable of absorbing liquid and applying the-same to a surface along which the device is drawn with the brush in contact therewith, the edges of said side walls and the edge ofsaid top wall at the open end of said guard member defining the boundaries of the liquid applied to the surface so as to prevent spreading of the liquid.

JOSEPH ELBY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

